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Running southeast from Praca Sete, the broad Avenida Afonso Pena bisects the city and is lined by some of the city's showcase buildings. The Igreja Sao Jose , midway between Rua Tamoios and Rua Espirito Santo at the top of a flight of steps, dates back to 1906 and was the first church in the new capital; its eclectic manueline and gothic style is characteristically Brazilian, and it is set in an attractive tree-filled garden. Further south along the avenue between Rua da Bahia and Avenida Alvares Cabral is the Art Deco-influenced Prefeitura (town hall), built in the 1930s as an early boast of civic pride, while just a short distance on is the imposing Palacio da Justica and the Escola da Musica with its Corinthian columns. On the other side of the avenue is one of the very few large-scale areas of relief from the traffic and noise of downtown: the green and shade of the Parque Municipal (Tues-Sun 6am-6pm). Beautifully laid out by the French landscape artist Paul Villon, the park encompasses a boating lake, two thousand species of tree, shaded walks much patronized by courting couples, aviaries, a permanent fairground and exercise yards where Brazilian men make their sweaty sacrifices to the national cult of the body beautiful. It also contains the main arts complex in the city, the Palacio das Artes.
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